Brake mechanism for motor vehicles



Patented i922. f

ALFRED T. STURT, OlE NEW YORK, N.

Y., AssIGNoE To GENERAL MOTORS CORPORA- TION, OE DETROIT, MTCHIGAN, A CORPORATION OE DELAWARE.

BRAKE IVI-EHANISMI FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

Application filed February 2, 1920. Serial No. 355,577.

To all whom it concern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED T.' STURT, a

' citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident A one another to thereby provide a single uni.

of New York, -county of New York, and State of New York, havev invented certain new andl useful Improvements in Brake Mechanism for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, concisefand exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to brake mechanism desi ned for use in connection with automobiles and similar self-propelled vehicles; and the object thereof is to provide an improved combined spring support-ing pad or spring seat and supporting disc for certain elements of the brake mechanism of the vehicle, the said brake mechanism supporting disc and spring seat being connected with tary structure and said members being preferablv formed integrally with one ianother as a single casting.

A further object of my invention is to pron videa combined spring supporting seat- 'or springpad and disc 0r plate for carrying the brake mechanism of the vehicle and in which the stresses which are set up when the brake is applied to retard the motion of the vehicle will be transmitted directly to the spring supporting Seat, and through said,

seat and the sprin supported thereby to the body ofthevehic e, as distinguished from transmitted tothe axle housing of the vehicle as hasheretofore commonly been the case.

A further object of my .invention is to provide an improved integral combined spring seat and brake supporting ange or disc which will be simple in construction and one which may be readily manufactured at a minimum: of trouble and expense, and which at the same time will be of maximum strength and suitable for the purpose for which it is desi ed.

My improve combined spring seat and brake flange is illustrated in its preferred form in a drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification; although it will be appreciated' that the same may be invention includes such variations and modimodified in various particulars, and that my fcations of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated as come within the scope .of the concluding claimsvwherein the distinguishing features of my invention are particularly pointed out.

In the dra-wing:

Figure lis a view for the most part in perspective showing my invention, and the relation thereoftc the rear axle of the vehicle with which it is used, certain portions being broken away and shown in section'to better illustrate thefeatures of construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a plan view broken away in part to show certain features of my inven# tion.

Figure 3 is a view showing a section upon a vertical plane extending longitudinally of the rear axle housing of the vehicle; all the views being fragmentary in that they show so much only of the co-operating elements of 4. the vehicle as is necessaryto an understanding of my invention. Figure 4 is a view showing a section upon a transverse plane,

indicated at the` lines 4 4, Figure 2. y Referring now -to the drawing, the reference numeral i designates one .end of the usual rear axle housing or axle tube of a. motor vehicle within and along whichthe driving axle of the vehicle extends, one only of the two driving axles which to ether form the rear driving axle of the ve iicle bein shown at 5. It will be appreciated that two such axles are arranged within the rear axle tube or housing 'of a vehicle in each' case, said axles being independently driven through the usual differential gear cominonly present in' rear axle constructions, but which differential gearing is not shown; as my invention may be readily understood upon illustrating and describing the connection or association thereof with one end only of the axle housing, and with a single one of the two driving axles of the vehicle'.

Supported upon the outer endV of the axle 'housing 4 is a hub 6 which serves as a supp port for the inner ends of the spokes of a rear driving wheel of the vehicle, a suitable roller or'other type of bearing being commonly interposedbetween the hub and the periphery of the axle tube. Secured to and 7 with the periphery ofwhich the brakes rotating with the said hub is a brake drum commonly present 1n rear axle constructions co-operate to retard the motion'of the vehicle, the spokes of the wheel being disposed between the brake drum and a laterally extending flange 8 of the hub, as is usual in motor vehicle driving wheel construction. The hub 6 and, as necessarily follows, the wheel and brake drum 'are driven from the axle 5through a cross-bar 9 at the extremity of the axle and the ends of which lie withinj recesses 'provided in the end ofthe hub; and a suitable hub-cap 10 is provided for covering the end of the axle and of the driving cross-bar upon the outer end thereof.

"The wheel in its entirety' is held in place uponthe end of the axle housing by means of nuts 11, as is usual in motor vehicle wheel construction. It will be appreciated, that the details of hub and axle` however, construction and the .particular-,method of driving the wheel I v material and-.forms no ,part of the invention to which this presentap'plijcation relates.

The brake mechanism which rio-operates with the periphery ofthe brake drum 7 is shownas including 'an external brake band '12, a portion only-"ofwhich is shown, and

an internal brake band 13 which is also shown in a fragmentaryImanner;V both of said brake bands being supported from a brake mechanism supporting ange ordisc 14 so that the said flange acts to yprevent rof tation of the brake' bands in question when said bands are forced into engagement with the periphery of the brake drum;. the brake ban'd 12 being drawn inwardly and the brake band v13 being forced outwardly against the brake drum by suitable mechanism co-operating with the band in question and supported in whole or in part by the flange 14 above mentioned. Ordinarilyy one of the brake bands above 'referred to is em-l ployed asa service brake for use in the ordinary operationof the vehicle, whilel the other band is usually employed as an emergency brake; although it will be appreciated that this present invention is in no way concerned with the details of construction, arrangement, and operation of thebrake mechanism, so long assaid mechanism is supported by the brakemechanism supporting flange or disc 14, and so long as said flange serves asy an abutment for preventingrotation-,of the brake members when they are 'forced into engagement with the brake drum.'v

The brake supporting flange 14 is supported from a'spring supporting member o r lspring seat 15 having a fiat or. suby stantially flat upper surface 16 to which a -1 spring of the vehicle may be secured, from which it follows that the'strains which result when the brakes are applied to the brake drum and which set upforces which tend to `from the axle is quite im-l fi'cient to secure rotate thebrake supporting flange 14, will .be transmitted to the spring supporting seat seat to .the vsprin'g'of the vehicle supporte thereby. and 4to the 15' and through the said sprin4 frame of the vehicle; the spring supporting seat being preferably loosely secured to the axle tube or housing so thatlthe -stresses which'result when the brakes are applied will not be communicated to the axle tube or housing. f

The supporting flange 14 and spring seat 15 are preferably made integrally with one another; and said spring seat is curved upon i its underside,

as shown in the drawing, and rests upon and is supported by the axle tube 4, which axle-tube extends through an opening provided inl the said flange, or rather in the inne'r'portion ofthe huby'thereof Vwhich merges -,with the spring supporting seatgthe brake supporting Vliange or discA being sub' stantially annular in form as will be apprev ciated vand forming in substance' a closure for the inner open'end of the brake drum 7. The spring seat15 andfthe supporting flange 14 are secured in place upon and relative to the axle housing 4'by means of adetachable cap member 17 which cap is secured to the spring seat by means of bolts 18 disposed one upon eachs'ide of the axle tube, as shown 'in dotted lines in Figure 2 and the lower end of one'ofl which bolts is shown in Figure 1; from-which Vit follows that the spring supporting seat and flange; after having been placed :in 4,position :upon the axle tube may be properly .fastened in place relative thereto by means of the cap and the bolts. vIt willbe appreciated, how- `ever, that the clamping actionl due tothe tightening of the bolts is commonly not sufthe partstogether in such a manner that they kwill be immovable relati-ve toone another, as'the torsional forces loro due to the application of the brakes are or-` ,dinarily intended .to be transmitted from thev of the axle tube is prevented .by a key 19 which ,is fixedly secure-d to the said 'tube as by means ofrivets 20, and which key extends kthroughout something less thanl'half the. circumference of the .tube at the place where 'the spring seat rests thereupon. The spring seat is provided with an internal groove-which. receives this key when the parts are assembled, as best shown in Figure 3; the assembling of the spring seat detachable securing cap is put in place and secured tothe sprnghseat by the bolts 18 as above explained. i l

The inner end of the 4Wheel hub 6 abut's against a radially extending portion ofthe hub of thel brake m'echanism supporting. member 14 adjacent the point at which said member, or rather the hub thereof, merges with the spring seat; and an annular Wearing plate or ring 21 is preferably interposed between the abuttingv portions of the mem bers in question to thereby reduce the friction between the parts and provide a member which may be removed and another `sub= stltuted therefor if and whenv it becomes j l in .combination with' an axle tube or housing,l

Worn, and a supplemental bearing in the form of a ring 22 is, preferably interposed between the inner en d .of said-wheel hub and lthe adjacent peripheral surface; of the a'xle tube. y l

ln view of the premises it will be appreci- .ated that my invention provides an improved brake mechanism in which the spring supporting seat and the annular flange orl disc which supports the brake bands or equivalent brake mechanism may be formed as a single integral casting, which may be readily made at a minimum of expense and readily assembled with the axle tube ot the rear axle struc-ture, and then secured in place relative to said tube; and provides a construction in which, the torsional stresses which are set up when vthe brake bands or equivalent elements are applied to the brake drum are transmitted through the supporting` disc or plate to t-he spring seat, and through said seat and the .spring carried' thereby to the frame of the vehicle, as distin` uished from transmitted to the axle tube Fhousing as has heretofore been the case in similar mechanisms wherein the brake supporting disc or ange the equivalent to the Hangs 1li has usually been permanently or fixedly secured to the rear axle. housing, so as to be immovable relatively thereto in an angular direction.

Having'thus described and explained my invention claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1'. lin a device of the class described and in combination 'with an axle tube or housing7 awsoring seat curved to conform with' and .which seat rests upon said axle tube; a separable cap :member shaped to conform withl said axle tube; meansfor detachably securing said cap to said spring seat; a brake vmechanism supporting V flange annular in fornrcarried by said spring seat and having an opening through 'which said axle' tube extends; a wheel hub supported upon the free end of said axle tube, and the inner end of which abuts against said brake mechanism supporting flange; and va brake drumsupported' from said hub and the periphery of Whichliesadjacent said flange. 2. In 'a device of the class described'and combination vWith an axle tube or housing having a 'curved key secured to its pe-v `'ripheral surface; a lspringseat curved toconform with and which seat rests upon said axle tube and is provided with an internal recess Within which said key lies.; a separable cap :member shaped to conform with said axle tube means for detachably securf ing saidvcap to said spring seat; and a brake mechanism supporting flange annular in form carried 'by' said spring seat and havingan opening through which said axle tube extends.

3. In a device of the classV described and said axle tube; means for detachably secur-v ing` said cap to said spring seat; and a brake mechanism supporting flange carried by said spring seat and having an openingr through which said axle tubcextends.

5. In a device of the class described and in coml'iination with an axle tube or housing, a spring` seat curved to conform with vand which seat .is supported'by7 said axle tube; a separable cap member shaped to conform With said axletube; means'for detachably securing said cap to said spring seat; and a brakev mechanism.supporting flange `formed integrally with vsaid spring seat.'

6. In a device ot vthe class-described and in combination vwith an axle tube or housing,

brake Imechanism supporting means supi ported by said'axle tube and capable of angular movement ,independently thereof;

'relative to said axle tube or housing.

7. In a device of' the class described and adapted to support suitable brake mechanin combination with an axle tube or housing, ism; and means for securing said spring seat a spring seat supported by said housing and and brake supporting flange to said agile Whioh spring seat is looseupon said housing, housing. 5 so as to be capable of angular movementin- In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

dep'endently thereof; a bra-ke supporting y flange carried by said Spring seat and Y ALFRED T. STURT. 

